Blog

July 27, 2013

One family we will deliver to is originally from Iraq. This family consists of a single mother and her two college age girls. The mother has five daughters but three of them are in Iraq and are married. Her husband was killed in the conflict in 2005 in Iraq which caused her to flee to Syria. The conditions in Syria were harsh. It was very hard to obtain work legally. However, the schools are adequate and the children have had moderate success in school. In fact the quality of life was pretty high in Syria before the recent civil war. The region was also affected economically with hyperinflation. In Arizona, the family lives in a second floor apartment which is of a moderate size. They are missing many of the items that make a house a home, such as wall decorations. They also need chairs and additional seating in the apartment. The daughters are excited to be in Phoenix are looking forward to attending college. The mother has led an interesting life. She was a driver’s education teacher in Iraq and taught students how to drive a stick shift. The mother would like to have a TV because she is a big fan of television. She would also like some rugs if possible because they are not used to hard floors.

We will deliver to another family that is originally from Iraq. They left Iraq in 1997 and have moved to Jordan where they lived for much of their lives. Jordan is struggling economically and the conditions were harsh. In addition to the struggle caused by their lack of citizenship, it was difficult for the father to earn a living. He is a painter and because Jordan is suffering economically people do not have a lot of extra money to purchase art. Jordan is going through severe economic problems. The father’s paintings are strikingly good. The family has a daughter who is near college age. The daughter is very excited about starting her studies. The family lives on the third floor in a moderate to small sized apartment. They are having a tough time adjusting to the USA. It is very different for them but they are learning. Because the father is a painter he would enjoy any art supplies that WTAP can provide. The daughter needs any items suitable for a young woman nearing college age. The family would also like to have a calendar.

The third family to whom we will deliver is originally from Iran. They fled Iran due to religious reasons. Both the mother and father were challenged by police and told to go to court. They escaped instead, and fled to Turkey. Turkey is very similar to Iran but refugees do not have the legal status to work. The schools were very strong in Turkey. However, it was difficult to survive financially. In Arizona the family lives in a first floor moderate to small sized apartment. The high school age girl would like anything suitable for a girl her age. The younger daughter has very few toys and would like: cars, dolls, a baby doll with a carrier, stuffed animals, and other items for a young girl. All of the family members would like bikes if possible: two adults moderate to smaller size, one adult female smaller size, and one age appropriate for a child just entering grade school. They also very interested in any learning games or fun computer games for their youngest daughter. Both parents have some family and some friends living locally, which will ease their adjustment to their new home.